05-10-2022, 04:14 PM
https://theconversation.com/what-are-tac...ine-191167
Quoting the above, tactical nukes vary from "fractions of 1 kiloton to about 50 kilotons" (rather unhelpfully vague really). Hiroshima was 15 kilotons and Nagasaki was 25; the largest non-nuclear bomb that the US has dropped (the MOAB or "Mother Of All Bombs) was "only" 0.011 kilotons.
I don't think even Putin will resort to Hiroshima/Nagasaki strength weapons, even if those do technically now fall into the "tactical" category. My guess is that they'd be somewhere in the "bigger than a MOAB, but less than 1Kt" range, but perhaps that is trying to apply some of my rationality to Putin's irrationality. If he does start nuking Ukraine, I still don't think NATO can retaliate with their own nukes. I'm guessing they'll just immediately go all out, dropping every conventional bomb they have on every Russian military targets they can find.
The problem with nuclear weapons from a tactical standpoint, is that they're most effective as a WW2-style "obliterate a whole city" option. That style of warfare has fortunately gone out of fashion, which is why I can't ever see NATO using that tactic ever again. I think that Russia would have to start successfully indiscriminately bombing Western cities before NATO started doing the same to Russian cities.
Quoting the above, tactical nukes vary from "fractions of 1 kiloton to about 50 kilotons" (rather unhelpfully vague really). Hiroshima was 15 kilotons and Nagasaki was 25; the largest non-nuclear bomb that the US has dropped (the MOAB or "Mother Of All Bombs) was "only" 0.011 kilotons.
I don't think even Putin will resort to Hiroshima/Nagasaki strength weapons, even if those do technically now fall into the "tactical" category. My guess is that they'd be somewhere in the "bigger than a MOAB, but less than 1Kt" range, but perhaps that is trying to apply some of my rationality to Putin's irrationality. If he does start nuking Ukraine, I still don't think NATO can retaliate with their own nukes. I'm guessing they'll just immediately go all out, dropping every conventional bomb they have on every Russian military targets they can find.
The problem with nuclear weapons from a tactical standpoint, is that they're most effective as a WW2-style "obliterate a whole city" option. That style of warfare has fortunately gone out of fashion, which is why I can't ever see NATO using that tactic ever again. I think that Russia would have to start successfully indiscriminately bombing Western cities before NATO started doing the same to Russian cities.